The two music icons came together in 1974 when the Grateful Dead unveiled their famed “Wall of Sound” at the San Francisco Cow Palace. The most unique traveling concert sound system in history, the system was 100+ feet wide and 3 stories tall. Powered by 48 McIntosh MC2300 amplifiers delivering 28,800 Watts of power, the Wall of Sound delivered clear, crisp sound to the hundreds of thousands of fans lucky enough to experience it in person. This legendary system has inspired modern concert amplification and lives on as one of the most pivotal moments in music history.
The new official capsule collection commemorates this milestone. Inclusive of a tee and sweatshirt, the items are created just in time for holiday gifting season, each featuring the official Grateful Dead logo and famous photo of the Wall of Sound by longtime band photographer Richard Pechner. The authentic collection is available exclusively from McIntosh and available on shop.mcintoshlabs.com. (note: scroll down on the page)
The Grateful Dead and McIntosh are music icons and their partnership has been special, working together on a brand video last year. McIntosh continues to build high-performance amplifiers at their factory in Binghamton, New York – _just as they have for almost 75 years. The MC2300 is no longer in production but Jerry Garcia’s personal McIntosh MC2300 amplifier from the Wall of Sound was auctioned off last year for over $375,000.
The Whole Story Behind McIntosh and The Grateful Dead Tour of 1974
In the pantheon of live music history, the collaboration between the Grateful Dead and McIntosh Laboratory during the band’s 1974 tour stands as a monumental achievement. This partnership culminated in the creation of the legendary “Wall of Sound,” a groundbreaking sound system that redefined concert audio and set new standards for live performances.
The Genesis of the Wall of Sound
By the early 1970s, the Grateful Dead had established themselves as pioneers of psychedelic rock, renowned for their improvisational style and extended live jams. However, they consistently grappled with the limitations of existing sound reinforcement systems, which often failed to deliver the clarity and fidelity they desired for their expansive audiences. Determined to overcome these challenges, the band envisioned a revolutionary sound system that would faithfully reproduce their music with unparalleled precision and power.
Enter Owsley “Bear” Stanley, the band’s visionary sound engineer and a key figure in the development of live concert sound. Stanley conceptualized a system that would serve both as a public address system and as onstage monitors, allowing the band members to hear exactly what the audience was experiencing. This ambitious concept required a radical departure from conventional sound reinforcement methods and demanded equipment capable of delivering high power with minimal distortion.
Collaboration with McIntosh Laboratory
To bring the Wall of Sound to fruition, the Grateful Dead sought amplifiers that could meet the extraordinary demands of their envisioned system. They turned to McIntosh Laboratory, a company renowned for its high-fidelity audio equipment and robust amplifier designs. McIntosh’s amplifiers were celebrated for their reliability and sonic accuracy, making them the ideal choice for this unprecedented project.
The system incorporated forty-eight McIntosh MC2300 amplifiers, each capable of delivering 600 watts in a bridged monoblock configuration. Collectively, these amplifiers provided a staggering 28,800 watts of continuous power, driving over 600 speakers arranged in towering arrays behind the band on stage. The setup spanned over 100 feet in width and reached three stories in height, creating an imposing visual and auditory experience that was as much a spectacle as it was a technical marvel.
Technical Innovations and Design
The Wall of Sound was a masterpiece of engineering, introducing several innovations that addressed common issues in live sound reproduction:
- Dedicated Channels: Each instrument and vocal had its own dedicated channel and corresponding set of speakers. For instance, bassist Phil Lesh’s instrument was routed through a quadraphonic encoder, distributing the signal from each of the four strings to separate channels and speaker sets. This design ensured precise and clear reproduction of each musical element, minimizing intermodulation distortion.
- Reduced Distortion: By assigning separate speaker arrays to individual instruments and vocals, the system effectively eliminated intermodulation distortion, a common problem when multiple audio signals are combined. This approach ensured that the sound reaching the audience was pure and uncolored, faithfully representing the band’s live performance.
- Improved Sound Dispersion: The vertical arrangement of the speaker arrays allowed for a more even distribution of sound across the venue. This design reduced volume discrepancies between the front and back of the audience area, providing a consistent listening experience for all attendees, regardless of their position in the venue.
- Onstage Monitoring: Positioning the speakers behind the band enabled the musicians to hear the same sound as the audience without the need for traditional monitor wedges. This setup allowed for better communication and synchronization during performances, as the band members could directly experience the overall sound balance and make real-time adjustments as needed.
Challenges and Limitations
Despite its groundbreaking design, the Wall of Sound presented several challenges:
- Logistical Complexity: The sheer size and weight of the system required extensive setup and teardown times. Transporting the equipment demanded multiple trucks and a dedicated crew, making it a logistical challenge for touring. The band employed multiple sets of scaffolding and crews to “leapfrog” between concert locations, ensuring that one system could be set up while another was in use.
- Feedback Issues: Positioning the speakers behind the band increased the risk of feedback, especially for vocal microphones. Engineers had to employ careful microphone placement and use directional mics to mitigate this problem. Despite these efforts, managing feedback remained a constant challenge during performances.
- Maintenance Demands: With hundreds of components, the system required constant maintenance and fine-tuning to ensure optimal performance. Any malfunction could compromise the audio quality and disrupt the concert experience, necessitating a team of skilled technicians to monitor and address issues in real-time.
Legacy and Impact
The Wall of Sound made its debut on March 23, 1974, at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. Audiences and critics were astounded by the clarity, depth, and power of the sound. The system was used throughout the 1974 tour, leaving an indelible mark on the concert industry.
Although the Wall of Sound was retired after 1974 due to its impracticality, its influence on live sound reinforcement was profound:
- Advancements in Sound Technology: The innovations pioneered by the Wall of Sound inspired future developments in concert audio systems, emphasizing clarity, power, and fidelity. Modern line array speaker systems owe much to the principles established by the Wall of Sound, particularly in terms of sound dispersion and audience coverage.
- Elevated Audience Expectations: The unparalleled audio quality set new standards for live performances, leading audiences to expect higher fidelity sound at concerts. This shift pressured other artists and production teams to invest in superior sound systems, ultimately raising the overall quality of live music experiences.
- McIntosh’s Enduring Reputation: The collaboration solidified McIntosh Laboratory’s reputation in the professional audio industry. The successful implementation of their amplifiers in such a high-profile and demanding application showcased their products’ reliability and performance, further cementing McIntosh’s status as a leader in high-fidelity audio equipment.
Final Thoughts on McIntosh and the Grateful Dead’s 1974 Tour
The partnership between McIntosh Laboratory and the Grateful Dead during the 1974 tour stands as a testament to the pursuit of sonic excellence. The Wall of Sound not only transformed the Grateful Dead’s live performances but also left an enduring legacy that continues to influence concert sound design.
